Back to protect remake
by 517wiiface
Summary: There stood 10-year old Ash in all of his young glory. "Oh Damn." he whispered, his eyes widened. "Mewtwo was right...I'm back." This was his chance to change everything. Adopted from Writing My Life.
1. Shift to the past

Prologue - A Shift In Time **Hi!** **I'm SO Sorry this took so long and I punished myself for it but better late than never right? **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing and all credit goes to Writing My Life, the original author.**

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><p><em>"And the winner of the Sinnoh League Competition is - ASH KETCHUM OF PALLET TOWN!" <em>

_"I love you Misty."said Ash. "I love you too Ash", smiled Misty as they kissed._

_"You ready to Battle Ash?" asked the Dragon Master. "Ready when you are Lance."_

_"AND THE NEW YOUNGEST POKEMON MASTER AT AGE 17 IS ASHTON SATOSHI KETCHUM!" _

_"Misteria Lily Waterflower, will you marry me?" asked an on his knees Ash, a box with a diamond ring in his hands. Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke her words of love. "Yes."_

_"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Mr. and Mrs. Ashton Ketchum!" _

_"And Team Rocket, Magma, Aqua, and Galactic were all defeated once and for all by Master Ranger Ketchum!"_

_"I'm pregnant Ash."_

_"It's a girl. I give you your daughter, Ashley Misteria Ketchum!"_

_"Sir, its Team Omni, they're here...we need backup, NOW!"_

_"I'll be back soon. I promise. Be safe, I love you."_

Boom! _"NOOOOOOO!"_

_"I'm Sorry sir...we did all we could but your wife and daughter didn't make it."_

Ashton Satoshi Ketchum of age 21 sat on his porch, a dead look in his eyes. One year ago his wife of only a year and a half and three month old daughter were attacked by the vicious Team Omni. They didn't make it.

Since then Ash had been dead to the world. He had cut all contact from the outside world, abandoning his team of Pokémon Rangers, his friends, and his family. The only person who he allowed contact with was his faithful partner of 11 years, Pikachu, who was currently sitting beside him, silent.

Pikachu knew that his master and best friend was having a hard time. Since they died, he hadn't been the same. He didn't blame Ash but he just wished that he could cheer him up, just make him smile once. But whenever he tried to make his permanent frown turn upside down it only ended up in Ash secluding himself more from the world. He didn't want to be happy. He just wanted his old life back. He would do anything, _anything _to have them back.

"Anything you say?" asked a voice from behind.

Pikachu jumped a bit, sparks emanating from his cheeks but Ash stayed calm. "Mewtwo." he greeted coolly. "What do you want?"

"You say that you will do anything to have Misty back." he said, ignoring Ash's previous question.

Ash sighed sadly. "I'd give my life if it meant Misty could regain her own." Tears trickled slowly down his cold and hard stoned face.

Mewtwo's eyes held sympathy towards the only human he held respect and kindness for. Ash had risked his life for him, not once, but twice proving to him that humans and Pokémon could live together in harmony. Although he did not trust other humans, he knew that he would trust his life with Ash. But not only did he save his life, but the entire world of Pokémon on multiple occurrences. And so he offered the savior of world this small gift of gratitude. "I can send you back."

Ash's eyebrows quirked up. "Back where?" he asked in confusion.

"Back to the time when it all began. You can live your life over, and get the chance to destroy the evil before it can rise up." he said, talking about Omni.

"Re-really?" asked a shocked Ash, who, for the first time showed emotion. "How?"

"Ash, you have given your life for the lives of Pokémon. We Pokémon are in debt to you and plan to repay you in full. When you return, all your memories of this time will be with you. All of your experiences and times will never go away. Every legendary Pokémon of whom you encountered will know of you, helping you along the way as you redo your life. But no other will remember. All the humans friends you've made will no longer remember you." he said.

"What about Pikachu?" Pikachu's head looked up, pleadingly.

"Ahh yes. Your Pikachu will remember as well." Mewtwo chuckled. "Yeouch!" it grumbled at the shock the yellow mouse gave. "And now, are you ready? Because once you go through with this, there is no turning back." he warned.

"Yes." he said with deep conviction.

Ash closed his eyes as his soul was sent years into the past. Memories of each of his battles, friends and hardships flashed through his eyes as darkness took over.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

Ash Ketchum groaned as he stretched from his bed. His eyes opened, blinking a bit. He opened fully, shocked as he found himself in his dirty room from 11 years ago. He hurried to his mirror, and gasped. There stood 10 year old Ash in all of his short glory. "Oh Damn." he whispered, his eyes still widened. "Mewtwo was right...I'm back." This was his chance to change everything.


	2. I choose you! Again?

**Well let's update this story again! Enjoy! Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon and all credit for original idea goes to Writing My Life.**

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><p>"ASHTON SATOSHI KETCHUM GET UP THIS INSTANT! YOU ARE GOING TO BE LATE FOR PROFESSOR OAK!" He heard a shrill screech, making him jump a bit.<p>

His eyes widened as he realized what day it was. It was April 2, the day he received his first Pokémon, Pikachu to be exact, and started on his journey to becoming a Pokémon master. "Co-coming!" his squeaky 10 year old voice cracked. _Great, only five more years until puberty, _he thought unhappily.

He quickly changed, racing downstairs. As he reached the kitchen, he stopped. There he saw a red headed woman, cooking eggs. His mother, Delia Ketchum. He hadn't seen her in over 3 years. Shortly after he became a master, his mother past at the tender age of 35 from a freak car accident. It crushed the 18 year old boy who only had his mother there for him from the beginning. His mother had gotten pregnant with him at the young age of 17 after she was raped by an unknown man and when she found out she was pregnant with him, she didn't know what she could do. Others told her to get rid of it but she followed her heart and raised her son, alone. She had died just a year before he was married to Misty, and it had killed him inside. Now, getting to see her after so long made his eyes water.

"Mo-mom?" he squeaked, running towards her as he hugged her waist, burying his face into her apron.

"Ash?" she asked, wondering what was wrong.

"I-I'm okay." He assured her. "Just wanted to say...thanks for all you've done." He said, looking up at her face.

She smiled softly and lovingly. "You better get going. You are already late. At this rate you will never get a Pokémon." she giggled as she shooed him off.

He nodded and ran slow speed to the laboratory. _Can't be early..._ he thought. He remembered that last time he was late and that was how he got Pikachu. He had to make sure to repeat that same process.

"Why if it ain't Ashy boy." came a familiar snarky tone. He knew that voice anywhere. His fraternal brother, Gary Oak. Except this time, he was in his annoyance phase.

"Hey Gary. Good day." he said politely, not wanting to become bitter rivals like last time. "Bet your Pokémon is strong. How 'bout when I get mine, we battle. I bet I could learn a lot from the grandson of the great Professor Samuel Oaks."

Gary blinked, several times. "U-uhm sure." he choked, surprised to get that reaction from the once cry-baby Ash. "I believe my grandpa is waiting for you. No need keeping him waiting." he said arrogantly once more.

_Check and mate,_ Ash thought as he nodded and entered the lab.

"HELLO, ANYONE HERE?" he asked knowing the answer to it already.

"Who is that?" asked an old cracked voice of Professor Oaks.

"It's me, Ash Ketchum, I'm here for my first Pokémon." he replied.

"Oh Ash...erm...well right away. Here are the three Pokémon. Chose wisely for they are partners for life. Here," he said pointing to one. "We have the fire Pokémon, Charmander. Next to it on the right is the water turtle, Squirtle. And last is the grass Pokémon, Bulbasaur. Pick one."

He tried all three, and like last time they were all out. He begged the professor, asking if there was another.

"Well...there is one. But it's not very friendly. I just caught it this morning." he said uneasily.

"I'll take it!" he said happily, eagerly waiting to see his friend of many years.

"Okay..." he said with uncertainty as he took out a Pokeball with a lightning bolt on top.

It glowed as out came Pikachu. "PIKA!" he squealed as he jumped into Ash's arms, rubbing his head against Ash's chest.

"Well, I'll be darned. He likes you it seems, Ash." chuckled Oaks.

"I guess so." Ash laughed along.

For the next 10 minutes Oaks went on with the rules of Pokémon, gave him 6 pokeballs and a pokedex.

"Take care Ash!" he ordered.

"I will!" he called out as he exited and made his way to Gary.

"Remember Pikachu, you are supposed to be a beginner, so be easy okay?" Pikachu nodded. "Do you even remember your old moves?" Pikachu rolled his eyes at his silly trainer. "Right..." Ash laughed.

He found Gary training with his new Squirtle. "HEY GARY!" he shouted in his overly high voice. _Damn I miss my lower one... _

"Ashy boy, see you got a mouse!" he laughed at the yellow looking rat on his shoulder. "This should be too easy! Squirtle take care of it!" he shouted as his shell Pokémon got into position.

"Pikachu." he nodded, glancing at him reminding him not to go too hard.

"SQUIRTLE USE WATER GUN!" Squirtle puffed up its cheeks as a small jet stream of water appeared.

"Dodge Pikachu, and then use thundershock!" Pikachu made it look as if dodging was hard before zapping Squirtle with a low thundershock attack.

"SQURRRR!" it cried out in pain as if fell back. It retreated in its shell.

"Squirtle!" shouted a surprised Gary. "USE TACKLE!" Squirtle came out, hesitantly before running and trying to hit Pikachu.

Pikachu held back an eye roll as he slammed softly back into it.

Squirtle fell back and was knocked out.

"NOOOOOOOO!" cried Gary as he returned his Squirtle. "How'd you win so easily?" he demanded his face red as he pointed at Ash, jealous.

"Um..." he thought, not knowing what to say, "Well, Pikachu is an electric type while yours is water. I just got lucky. But you did really well. I bet next time you will win." He said encouragingly.

Gary blinked. "Erg...well. Thanks Ash. You are right, next time I will win. Smell ya later Ashy-boy!" he hollered as he made it to his convertible and drove away.

"Well...that went well." he said as he turned to Pikachu. "It's a new start for us buddy. But this time, we'll need to be more powerful if we want to defeat the uprising Team Omni." he said quietly as Pikachu nodded.

"Let's get back to mom."

Later that evening Ash and Pikachu set off on their new adventure together. "This time, let's catch the Spearow. It could be useful." he said as they came to the exact spot where things first started to go wrong on their journey.

A Rattata came up, baring its fangs. "Pikachu." he nodded. Pikachu gave a weak thundershock as it went down.

"Pokeball!" The ball left his hand as it hit the fallen rat as it was sucked in. "Good job buddy." he said as he let Rattata come out.

"Hey lil' guy." he greeted at the confused Pokémon. "Wanna help me catch a Spearow?" he asked, pointing towards the bird Pokémon that brought Pikachu and him together.

"Rat!" it nodded, getting into a battle position. "Okay, use double team and zig-zag through the grass!" he ordered as multiple Rattatas came out, zig-zagging through the ground.

The Spearow looked around confused, trying to peck at the illusions.

"Now, use tackle!" The rat jumped, knocking the Spearow to the ground.

It got back up angrily as it charged at Rattata. "Dodge and use tackle!" Rattata dodged, barely, and hit the Spearow from the side.

Ash threw a ball quickly; making sure it wouldn't get the chance to call its flock, capturing it.

"YEEEESS!" cried a happy Ash. "Good job Rat." It squeaked happily as it was sucked back in.

A clap could be heard from afar. Ash turned to see a red headed girl wearing a yellow shirt with straps and short jeans he hadn't seen in what seemed forever, walking towards him. He froze.

_"Misty."_

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><p><strong>See you next chapter!<strong>


	3. Misty, the one of the past

**Hi again!** **This was asked from the orignal story and I need your help! Please give me ideas on some things you would like to see happening. Like what type of pokemon he should catch, facing legendaries etc.**

**I'm not sure if you caught it at first but in the first chapter, Ash became a Master Ranger. I will elaborate more on that but I need more ideas. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon**

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><p>He stared at the younger version of the love of his life as she walked up to him. <em>Please, please don't let this be a dream.<em> He pleaded. It was as if none of the horrors he went through ever happened. His mother wasn't dead and the love of his entire being was right here standing in front of him.

_No! _He chastised himself. This wasn't the Misty he knew. This was just a past Misty. But wait! This was Misty. Any past, present or future Misty was still the same Misty. _I have to do better._ He thought as he opened his mouth to speak. "Erg...er…hi." _Hi, HI? Oh great going dipshit. She's going to think you are a freak._

"Hello yourself. I couldn't help but notice your little battle. Impressive for a beginner." she smiled kindly as she stuck out her hand. "Misteria Waterflower. But you can call me Misty."

He took it firmly in his hands, never wanting to let it go. "Ashton Ketchum, but you can call me Ash."

"Nice to meet you Ash."

"As well as you Misty."

"Ahh polite aren't we." she giggled.

_God I love her voice. _He thought as he rubbed the back of his neck. "My mum taught me well I suppose." A pause. "So, where are you from?"

"Cerulean City. I'm a water specialist." she said. He noticed she never said water gymnast.

"Pallet Town. I'm a-regular. I catch whatever comes my way." he shrugged. He felt a little zap on his foot. He moved a bit. "Oh sorry buddy. Misty, this is my trusty partner, Pikachu. Pikachu, can you say hi to Ms. Misty?"

Pikachu cooed as it brought out its tail from Misty to shake. "Nice to meet you Pikachu. Aren't you just the cutest thing." she giggled once more.

"CHA!"

"So, what brings you all the way here from Cerulean Misty?" he asked.

"Oh...Just wanted to get away from the family a bit." she said simply.

"You want to travel with me and Pikachu until you decide you want to return?" he asked, hopping that she'd never want to leave.

"S-sure." she said, not expecting that.

"Cool. So...you have a bike or you mind walking?" he asked, remembering the last time Pikachu shocked the bike and Misty demanded Ash repay her.

"Yeah but I can drop it at the nearest Pokémon Center in Viridian City and have my sisters pick it up later when they drop by." she shrugged as she headed to the large tree where it was parked.

"Cool. Here, let me push it." he offered taking the bike from her lovely hands.

"Thanks." she said, her eyes widening a bit.

"Here Chu, get in." he pointed at the empty basket. It crawled off his shoulders and sat in the basket.

"Hey Ash, if you don't mind me asking, but doesn't Pokémon go in the Pokeball?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, but Pikachu doesn't like it in there. Don't you buddy?"

"CHA!"

"Ahh." she said in understanding.

As they walked together to the nearest Pokémon center, Ash learned things he never knew about Misty the first time around. Like the reason she was so afraid of bugs was because her older sisters left her outside and she was attacked by a weedle that stung her with poison sting and she had to go to the emergency room. _That did explain a lot._ He thought. He also learned that her first Pokémon was a Staryu that evolved into a Starmie.

As the sun started going down, they finally made it to the Pokémon center.

"Hello Nurse Joy.!" he called as they walked in, seeing the familiar pinkheaded nurse with a Chansey to add to the effects. "I'm Ash from Pallet Town. And this is Misty from Cerulean...do you mind if you heal our Pokémon?" he asked kindly.

"Sure Ash. No problem." she said as she took the Pokémon both Ash and Misty placed, as well as Pikachu.

"Hey Ash, I'm going to make a call to my sisters to pick up the bike here later." Misty announced as she walked away.

Ash nodded as he decided too to go make a call.

The phone rang. "Hello?" asked the woman on the other line.

"Hey mom!" Ash greeted happily.

"Oh Ash! How is your journey coming along?" She asked. "I've missed you so much even though you've only been gone a day.

"I miss you too. I already caught two other Pokémon. A Rattata and a Spearow. And I'm traveling with a new friend. Her name's Misty. She's really nice." he added nonchalantly.

"Oh really?" She asked with a raise of her eyebrow. "Is she going to be part of the family later on?" she giggled.

"MOOOM!" He blushed furiously, his mother not knowing how true her statement was. He turned his head to see said future wife coming his way. "Gotta Go, Love you bye!" he said in a rush, ending the connection.

"Who were you talking to?" asked Misty from behind.

He turned his face still a bit hot. "My mom...she likes embarrassing me." he chuckled lightly.

She smiled. "What you talk about?"

He shrugged. "Nothing big. Just the usual." he lied easily.

"Well anyways, my sisters will be here in a few days to pick up my bike, and we can start traveling." she said happily. "Where to first?"

"I was thinking we head to Pewter City, a rock gym." he said. "Then head to your home town, if that's okay with you."

"That sounds great. Lead the way young Master in training." she giggled.

His heart fluttered. "Yes ma'am!"

They had finally reached the Viridian Forest with Ash knowing his way this time. He was able to find the exact locations of where he had caught his previous Pokémon.

"Go Pokeball!" Ash shouted as he caught the Caterpie. "Good job Rat." he congratulated as he proceeded on. Misty was taking a nap as he caught the bug. He'd wait until it evolved into a Butterfree before he showed her his catch.

_Hmm...Now where to find Pidgeotto. _He thought as he headed back.

Suddenly, a shriek could be heard followed by a bird cry. _Well, that's one way._ He thought as he ran to find her.

"ASH HELP!" she shouted as Pidgeotto used gust on her.

"Sparrow, GUST!" he yelled, throwing its ball at Misty as Sparrow came out, defending its master's mate.

"Now, use your talons and grip onto Pidgeotto's back!" he ordered. Sparrow flew behind Pidgeotto before striking, sticking its claws into its back in a tight grip. Pidgeotto fought to get released but it was no use. "Now, peck!" Sparrow did, clucking the larger bird on the neck.

Pidgeotto cried in pain as it fell to the floor. "Now, quick attack!" It was hit with full contact, getting sent into a tree.

"Go Pokeball!" Ash threw it as it captured his next team member. "Great job Sparrow." he congratulated with a pet on the head. It cooed before being returned.

"Thanks Ash, great moves." she thanked with relief.

"No problem, let's get some rest. I'll have my Pokémon scour the area, just to make sure no more unwanted creatures are around." he said with reassurance.

She nodded as she set up for bed.

"Oh Ash." she called as Ash sent out his team.

"Yeah?"

She shook her head. "Nothing." she said with a small smile as darkness took over. _I just like you a lot. _

_"Love you Misty." _he whispered softly to her when he was sure she was asleep.

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><p><strong>That's it for this chapter! I will see you next time!<strong>


	4. Training made easy

The following day, Ash got up early, Misty still being asleep, and began to train his Pokémon. It was still dark out when he sneaked a mile away from where they were staying.

He called them all out. There standing in front of him were Pikachu, Sparrow, Pidgeotto, Rattata, and Caterpie, all whom were ready for action. "Okay guys, a bit of morning exercise for everyone. Pidgeotto and Sparrow, a mile flight at your top speed. I want to record how long it takes for you guys to fly. Here's a Pokemeter," he said, attaching it to their feathers. "It tracks the number of steps, flight, etc taken. It'll tell me also how long it takes." he explained.

"Pikachu and Rattata, I want you guys to run a mile as well. No special moves." he quickly placed on a Pokemeter. "Caterpie, you will be training with me. I want you to learn to aim your string-shot at me, a moving target. It will heighten your accuracy. Then you will be using tackle-attack and we'll see how strong you really are." he said as he whistled, ordering them to start.

Pikachu, Rattata, Pidgeotto and Sparrow went off to do what they were ordered to do and Caterpie immediately started to attack his trainer with String-shot. Ash dodged easily, and ran up to Caterpie, giving it a light kick.

It cried out in pain and was flung to a tree. Before hitting it, it let out a string-shot, one he caught and used it to wrap Caterpie around a tree.

Ash sighed as Caterpie struggled to get out. He helped. He then knelt down to his little bug companion. "Okay Cat, when you attack, use the wind to your advantage. Feel the wind and know what direction your string will go because of it. That's really important and will help you through battles. And remember, just because you are smaller and slower, doesn't mean you can't dodge. Use the string again to attach it to trees, like a Spinarak and swing." he advised as Caterpie nodded his head, catching everything its master said. It wanted to please Ash and would do all it could.

For the next hour, Caterpie took Ash's advice, improving immensely. Half an hour before, the rest had come. Ash gave them a break as he continued with Caterpie.

"Okay, it'll be half an hour before Misty wakes up." he said, staring at the arising sun. "We'll have a mock battle. Caterpie vs. Pidgeotto, Pikachu vs. Sparrow and Rattata you vs. Me." he said. "We'll start with me and Rat." he said, getting into a fighting stance.

"Rat, I want you to use any move you want, I'll do the same." he said. "Begin!"

Rattata ran up to him in full speed of a quick-attack, jumping 5 feet away from him. Ash ducked and then gripped the tail. He began swinging when Rattata latched onto his arm before biting his fangs into him. Ash gritted his teeth at the pain before hitting the head of Rat with his hand and unlatching it before throwing it away from him. He placed pressure on the now soon to be scar and glared.

Rattata used double team, running in circles around him. Ash used his sensing of aura and detected the real one. He stuck out his foot, making Rattata trip.

It used sand attack before using tackle again. Ash closed his eyes from the sand and used his arms to block his chest from the impact. It made him move a bit.

The dust cleared as a very tired Pokémon was wheezing. Ash smirked and clapped slowly. "Nice job Rat at the combo of the sand-attack and tackle. But I suggest next time use double team, then sand-attack and tackle. It will confuse your opponent more then." he said as he let Rat take a nice rest under the trees.

"Next!" he called.

Pikachu and Sparrow came up. Ever since their first battle, Sparrow had wanted to improve as much as it could. Of course, Sparrow didn't know that Pikachu had nearly 15 years of training already.

"I want you to use any move you can. At the end of the battle I'll give feedback." he stated, sitting down to watch.

Pikachu then ran at sparrow with a quick attack, dashing in a zig-zag formation. Sparrow flew to the sky to avoid contact but as it did, Pikachu used a move called 'bounce' that he learned from Bunnary, Dawn's Pokémon, using his tail to bounce him towards the sky. He then became a flash of lightning, a volt tackle hitting Sparrow.

It cried out in pain as it fell, spiraling, it came back up, determined not to lose.

_Looks like Chu's going easy. _He thought, raising his eyebrows.

Sparrow got back up and used quick attack close to the ground, his wing leaning towards it as it created dust storm attacks. Pikachu dodged but wasn't able to dodge the wings.

"Good job, both of you. Sparrow, I'll help you learn how to use wing attack soon. And Pikachu, make sure that you know how to dodge simultaneous attacks." he said. "And now, we have ten minutes before Mist wakes up. Cat, Pidgeotto." he gestured them to the battle field.

Pidgeotto started its first attack with a quick attack, similar to Sparrow's attack. Caterpie used the moves it learned from Ash, using string-shot to a tree and had it pull him up. It then swung, using tackle at the surprised bird Pokémon.

Pidgeotto got back up, using gust. Caterpie used the string-shot move but realized that it was a diversion to Pidgeotto's real attack, quick attack. It collided as Caterpie was sent to a tree. It used string-shot once more, connecting to Pidgeotto's beak. It used it to climb upon its back and ride it like a Ponyta.

Pidgeotto tried to shake it off but it stuck on strong. Finally after minutes, it stopped struggling.

"Great moves, the both of you." he congratulated.

Suddenly, Caterpie glowed as it shape began to change. _Faster than last time._ He noted. A Metapod came from the evolution.

"Great job Metapod." he added once more. "Okay, Misty is going to be awake any minute. Let's get some food. Pidgeotto and Sparrow, try to see if there are any berries in trees, or a river nearby for water or fish. Pikachu and Rattata, go hunt for some fire wood. Metapod...well, relax." he said, not knowing what much it could do.

Ash returned it for a well deserved rest as he headed back to find Misty getting up.

"Morning." he said cheerfully.

She yawned, stretching. "M-morning." she greeted, rubbing her eyes of sand. "How long were you up for?"

"Two hours." he stated. "The others will be back soon. Their getting food." he said as he pulled out a lighter.

Fifteen minutes later they returned bring wood, berries, and fish. Ash cooked food for them.

He had decided that for now on, his Pokémon would eat food from a forest. A man five years from now discovered that feeding Pokémon food from nature did better in growth and development because all of it was natural, not concentrated.

"Well, dig in." he said as he served Misty some food.

"Thanks Ash." she said.

"Hey Misty, I'm going to let a Pokémon come out, but try not to screech." he warned. He could hear her gulp. "Met, come out and eat." he said as a cocoon Pokémon came out.

"Metapod!" it cried its name as Ash held it in his lap, feeding it a berry.

Misty blinked. "When did you get a Metapod?" she asked.

"Yesterday, it was a Caterpie and just evolved during early morning training." he said. "Don't worry, he won't hurt you." he added.

She nodded. "I know you wouldn't let it."

'_Wow, she trusted me.' _He thought as they continued the meal.

The next few hours were spent traveling through the forest. Suddenly, a noise could be heard from afar.

"BEEDRILL!" A lone Beedrill attacked without warning as Ash took out the closet Pokémon.

"Metapod, harden!" Metapod did, its stingers not even giving it a scratch. "Now, string shot and hurtle your hardened form at the Bee!"

Metapod shot a string shot to a tree and then swung its form into the Beedrill. It cried out in pain.

"Pokeball, go!" he caught it easily.

"Nice job." Misty commented. "Good job Metapod-" it glowed once more, evolving to a beautiful Butterfree. "Wow." she gazed, amazed at what she witnessed.

This was definitely different from the first time around.

And he loved it.


	5. Back to Brock

For the next few days, life passed by quickly. Ash continued to get up early to train his Pokémon, Misty even joining sometimes. She, needless to say was very impressed with his skills and tactics. "It's as if you've been training for years rather than days." she would often be heard muttering. _If only you knew the half of it. _Other times she would give constructive criticism that would help him improve in his strategy in battling.

A few days into training and Metapod had once again evolved. Ash often wondered if that meant that it would go leave for another Butterfree like last time. It was certainly possible but circumstances were different. After all, in the past he didn't catch a Sparrow, Rattata. He caught a Beedrill before, but that was years later and he gave it to Casey.

And it was also certainly possible that the Caterpie he had caught was an entirely different Caterpie.

Over the days his Pokémon improved greatly in training. His Sparrow, Butterfree, Beedrill and Pidgeotto were now able to fly at 15 MPH as opposed to 5 MPH. Rat and Pikachu were able to run extremely fast as well, even without using their extra abilities. Currently, Pikachu was teaching Rattata how to use thundershock and Sparrow was teaching Beedrill better flying tactics. His Pokémon were now extremely close and would often help each other out.

Not only did his Pokémon improve in power and relationships, but he and Misty were far closer than they were in the past at that point.

Misty had pretty much grown used to Beedrill and Butterfree. She didn't freak out as much as in the beginning but was still wary of them. However, she didn't yell at Ash to return them every time he trained either. That was a good sign.

For two hours each day they sat together near the fireplace, just talking. Sometimes they talked about nothing in particular, and other times they talked about personal things. He learned things about Misty far sooner than he did when he did before. He had learned that she lived with and only with her sisters. Though they were irresponsible, loved shopping, she was forever grateful for them. They had to give parts of their childhood and grow up fast so that she could have as normal of a life as possible. Her older sister, Lily, was a mother figure to her as she had neither a father nor a mother since they passed when she was four and was raised solely on them.

She learned from him that his mother had been only 17 when she had him. He told her how his mother was rapped and impregnated. He never told anyone but her this before, but he always felt guilty for the fact that his mother endured such pain because she decided to keep him instead of aborting him like others like her own family and friends had suggested. She got disowned because she loved the baby whose father was a rapist.

Ash loved having those discussions with her, being able to open up about his past and learning about the trials she faced as well. Each word they exchanged strengthened the bond and trust and relationship he and her shared, something he would never give up.

Finally after a total of five days, they were out of the forest. Ash noticed that he did not encounter that Bug trainer like last time.

As they reached the Pokémon center together, Ash couldn't help but smile.

It was amazing how well things were going. Not only was he given a chance to see the love of his life once more but he got a chance to _be _with the love of his life. Sure, Misty didn't see him in that romantic sense like she did in the past and even possibly that she might never, but the fact was that just being with her in any way was more than he deserved. If all he could be was a brother or a best friend to her then so be it. He'd take whatever Misty would offer and be glad.

After arriving at the Pewter City Pokémon Center, Misty healed her Pokémon as Ash resumed training for his battle against Brock the next morning. He was sure that he'd win this time around, even if he just used Pikachu. But he wanted to see just how strong his newly acquired Pokémon were in the short time he'd been training them.

After a short mock battle, Ash and Misty headed off to bed early, anticipating the next day.

The following morning, Ash and Misty arrived at the Pewter City Gym, home of Brock Stone, the legendary Rock Leader. As they entered the gym, Ash wondered if Brock would join them this time or not. Last time Brock joined because his father returned. Would he need to find him again?

He entered the front of the Gym to find it closed.

"Aww man." sighed Ash as he scratched his head. "Guess we have to come back later.

"Sorry Ash...maybe tomorrow?"

"Well, why don't we just look around or something..." he shrugged as he made his way back.

"WAIT!" He heard a voice stopping them. It was Brock. "Sorry about that. I had to tend to the Pokémon. Now, what you here for?" he asked in a cheerful voice.

"No problem. I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and this is Misty from Cerulean, and I'm here looking for the Gym leader for a battle."

"Well, the Pokémon are resting right now. A kid from your town came yesterday and battled my Pokémon into exhaustion, so maybe tomorrow. Why don't I show you around and stuff since I feel bad about not battling right away? Oh, and the name's Brock."

"Nice to meet you." he replied back, giving his signature lopsided grin. Misty nodded as well as they followed Brock into the Gym.

As the tour went on, Ash wondered how this was going to work, and by work, he meant how Brock was going to join them. Last time, he lost the first battle, causing him to run into Brock's father, and Brock's father taking over the gym as Brock went to travel with them to learn how to become the best breeder, which he nearly accomplished last time.

The only problem was, he and Misty were early. Last time he had come about three weeks to a month after he first started, but this time he got here in only two weeks. Who knows if his father was even in the same place!

"So Brock." said Misty as they toured around the weight room. "You have any siblings?"

"Yes, nine of them." Brock stated. "Forest is the oldest, then Salvadore, Yolanda, Tommy, Cindy, Suzie, Timmy, Billy and Tilly." he finished.

"Wow." gapped Misty, her eyes slightly widened. "And I thought I had a lot of sisters..." she commented."What about your parents?"

Ash winced. He knew that before he came, Brock's parents were a sensitive subject at times. Both his father and mother had left to become Pokémon trainers, leaving him alone to take care of the gym, the Pokémon and his little siblings. "Traveling." he put it simply, indicating that the subject was done.

As they entered the door leading to the back of the house, which was connected to the gym, the door swung open as Brock was now covered from head to toe in Brocklings.

"BROCK BROCK BROCK BROCK!" they cheered.

Brock laughed. "Hey there kiddos; how you guys doing?" He asked, happy to see his little siblings.

"Good. So, who are you?" asked one of the younger girls.

"Hi, I'm Ash, from Pallet and this is my friend Misty from Cerulean." he answered, offering out his hand.

After introductions were done, they decided to relax and just chat.

"So Ash, did you always want to be a master?" Brock asked, sipping on a cup of coffee.

"Yeah I did. My mom doesn't really like the fact that I travel now and am a 'Big Boy' or 'Little Man' but she loves that I love doing it. After I travel I'm thinking on becoming a Pokémon Ranger...I like helping others, especially Pokémon."

From the side, Pikachu cooed as it was being petted by the younger Brocks.

"Really?" Misty asked, a bit of admiration in her voice. "That's cool. I never pictured you one for being a ranger, but now that I think about it, you are the one for Pokémon rescuing..." she giggled.

Ash blushed a bit. "So Brock, did you always want to be a gym leader?"

"Tell you the truth, not at all. I just took the job for the money and for the fact that my dad, the first gym leader, is traveling, so I have to stay here and take it over and the duties of my siblings... What I _really _want to do is be a Pokémon breeder."

"That's cool. Hey, if you want, you could travel with us sometime..." Ash offered.

"Thanks...if my dad returns, then I might just take your offer. But he hasn't been back for months so I don't know when he'd be back."

The conversation continued until it was time for bed. Misty stayed with the eldest girl as Ash shared a room with Brock.

"So...when you going to tell her?" Brock asked once they were alone.

Ash sputtered. "I-I don- know wh-what y-you-r talk-ing ab-o-ut."

"Oh don't play me like a fool Ash. I, being a man, know much about love. And I've seen the love shine in your eyes each time you look at that girl."

"But I'm just a kid. Like she'd want me." Ash sighed sadly.

"Man Ketchum, you are blind if you haven't seen the way she looks at you." Brock chuckled.

_Really? Does Misty already notice me? "_Really?" he voiced out his question.

Brock leaned in closer. "Really. So, I expect you to tell her your undying love by tomorrow." He made kissing noises. "My little man!" he gaffed into a fit of laughter.

Ash threw a pillow at him. "Shut up." before he laughed a little too.


	6. Second 1st Gym Battle!

**Welcome back everyone! I have a new chapter for you today! I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

* * *

><p>The next morning Ash woke up to two things, one being the smell of fresh pancakes and two being a little girl bouncing her little bum on his abdomen.<p>

"Hi?" he quirked his eyebrow at her as he stared into her childish eyes.

She giggled. "You're cute." She whispered and bounced again.

Ash made a nervous laugh. "Uhh...thanks, erm...Yolanda?" he guessed.

She shook her head. "NOPE, I'm Suzie, remember?" She puffed out in annoyance.

"Oh...sorry, so, want to get breakfast?" he asked, his stomach growling underneath her bottom.

She giggled once more and then slid off his stomach and to his legs as he got up. He grabbed her hands as he swung her to the floor. They then raced each other to the kitchen, Ash following his nose.

"Morning." Brock greeted as he placed a large stack of pancakes on the table. Misty was already placed as were the rest of the kids. Suzie took her place next to Misty, glaring at her in a subtitle.

"Morning." he greeted back, taking a place next to Brock and Suzie. "What time you get _up?" _he yawned the last word.

"About an hour ago." Brock answered.

Ash glanced up at the clock. It read 7:30. That meant he got up at 6:30 or so to make breakfast. He grabbed three pancakes and dug in, moaning immediately at the taste. "God, been so long." he groaned in pure delight.

Pikachu cried its cute little coed as it dug into its Pokefood that Brock fabulously made.

"What, you being starved?" Brock joked as he and the rest took a bite. Misty too groaned.

"God, not even my mom can cook this well." _How did I survive for so long without Brock's cooking? _Ash wondered and moaned again as he took another bite.

"So how was your sleep?" asked Brock.

"It was pretty good, until a little Mankey woke me up." joked Ash, glancing slightly at Suzie.

Suzie blushed, looking down in embarrassment.

After breakfast, the trio decided to work on layout of the gym. Though Brock's Pokémon were better, his gym was still a mess. He commented how he would have to use new moves other than dig.

As they cleaned up and finished, they began their long awaited battle.

"I'm not going to go easy on you just because I like you." noted Brock.

"Never would have even thought it."

"THE BATTLE BETWEEN BROCK STONE AND ASHTON KETCHUM FROM PALLET TOWN WILL NOW BEGIN!" shouted a familiar, deep voice. "EACH TRAINER WILL USE THREE POKEMON; FIRST SIDE TO HAVE ALL THEIR POKEMON KNOCKED OUT IS THE WINNER. NO SUBSTITUTIONS EXCEPT FOR THE CHALLENGER. CHALLENGER, CALL OUT YOUR FIRST POKEMON!"

Ash stared Brock down. "Pidgeotto, I need your help!" Called out Ash as he threw out a Pokeball as a large bird Pokémon came out, calling out its name.

"A bird Pokémon against a rock type, really Ash?" Brock tsked as he threw out his own. "Graveler!" Brock called out.

"THE BATTLE BETWEEN PIDGEOTTO AND GRAVELER MAY NOW BEGIN!"

"Graveler, use rock throw!" Graveler picked up a large stone and lunged it at Pidgeotto but it easily dodged.

"Pidgeotto, fly in circles around Graveler and use your wing to do sand storm!" Pidgeotto circled Graveler in intense speed, its arm hitting the ground every once in a while as dust started to circulate around it. Soon, Graveler was surrounded in a heavy sand storm in a twister form attack. "Now, use your talon and throw it through the top of the twister!" Ash ordered as Graveler attempted to break out, but having no luck. Pidgeotto flew to the ground, grabbed the nearest semi large, yet not too large, rock and lunged it in the hole. It spiraled around the twister, hitting Graveler ever few spins.

It growled in annoyance. "Graveler, try to catch the rock and throw it back at the storm to stop it!" Graveler caught the rock, threw it only to have it bounce back at him, making him stumble into the twister as it went spinning and spinning, getting thrown into the stands.

Brock winced. "Graveler!" he cried out as whines of protest coming from the Brocklings could be heard.

"GRAVELER IS UNABLE TO BATTLE, PIDGEOTTO WINS!"

"YES!" Ash cried out, doing his own form of a victory dance as Pidgeotto flew to him, its head rubbing affectionately into Ash's chest. "Good job Pid', take a nice rest." Ash offered as it was sucked into the Pokeball.

"Awesome combo moves Ketchum, but now face the wrath of ZUBAT!" he called out as a bloodsucking thingy came out.

"Rattata!" He called out.

"THE BATTLE BETWEEN RATATTAT AND ZUBAT MAY NOW COMMENCE!"

"Rat use quick attack off the rocks!" he ordered his furry friend. Rattata did just that, bouncing off each and every rock as it aimed to hit Zubat out of the air with Zubat just barely missing.

"Zubat use your Supersonic!" Brock ordered. Just as Rattata was about to hit it, waves of confusion hit it first as it crashed into Zubat, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

"Rat!" Ash screamed in panic. Zubat was up already as Rattata swayed like a drunk. "Shake it off, use double team!"

Rattata tried but it managed to run into a wall head on. It cried out in pain.

"Zubat use leech life!" Zubat, like a vampire, dove to the neck of the small animal, biting as it sucked away, it gaining health.

Rattata screeched in pain. "Rattata, roll on the ground and use double team and hyper fang!" shouted Ash from the side.

Rattata shock its head hard, rolling as the leech was forced off. It quickly duplicated into five as it ran straight for the disoriented Zubat, its fangs aiming for Zubat's neck in revenge. Zubat attempted to dodge but was unable to due to its hurt wing it got when Rattata rolled. Rattata's teeth went into the Zubat, hard. "Now, throw it into the wall and then use quick attack!" Rattata chucked it away and then chased after it, tackling hard into the mid-flying Pokémon, sending it harder into the wall.

"ZUBAT IS OUT, RATATTAT WINS!" shouted the gruff voice.

Ash ran to his hurt Pokémon, picking it up gently. It was physically and mentally exhausted. "Great job buddy." He whispered as Rattata cooed at its master before it was retreated back into a Pokeball.

"Onix!" A large rock snake came out, growling deeply.

"Pikachu." He nodded to his buddy, knowing he'd want a rematch against his first real spar so long ago.

Pikachu hopped off his shoulder as it entered the rink.

"I won't underestimate you this time." promised Brock, seriousness in his voice.

"Pikachu double team and then quick attack on the rocks!"

Pikachu split into five more as it circled Onix while it tried to find the real one. "Now, use thunder wave on the ground!" he shouted as Pikachu jumped into the air, sending electric currents on the ground, zipping towards Onix as it was slightly electrocuted.

"ONIX, IRON TAIL!" He shouted as Onix swung its tail at Pikachu.

"Jump with your tail, then iron tail into its face!" he ordered as Pikachu bounced avoiding the tail and then used his own tail at Onix, square in the jaw.

Onix groaned in pain as it fell.

"Onix, BIND!"

As the giant snake like Pokémon fell his tail wrapped around Pikachu as he was falling back to Earth. He tried to dodge it, get out, anything, but the boulders on the Onix's body crushed him.

"PIKACHU USE-"

_CRASH!_

_"STOP!" _shouted one from the stand. It was one of Brock's siblings, Forester if he recalled.

"What?" asked Brock, mad that his win was being interrupted.

"THE POKEMON ARE BEING STOLEN!" the eight and a half year old cried, pointing outside.

"WHAT!" Screamed Brock who then ordered Onix to release Pikachu as he ran outside to find none other than Team Rocket, none other than _JESSI and JAMES _of Team Rocket, stealing Brock's Pokémon of a Sandshrews, Geodudes, Zubats, and more, all whom were caught in a strong net, unable to get out.

"HAHAHAHHAHA"

_To protect the world with devastation,_

_To unite all people, within our nation,_

_To denounce the evils of truth and love,_

_To extend our reach to the stars above,_

_Jessie,_

_James,_

_Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light,_

_Surrender now or prepare to fight,_

_MEOWTH THAT'S RIGHT!"_

Ash mentally groaned. He had forgotten about them.

"RELEASE MY POKEMON!" shouted Brock. "Kids, go inside." he growled as he ordered Onix to use screech, but the balloon was too far away.

"None of my Pokémon can reach." Misty growled, feeling rather useless.

"DAMMIT!" shouted Brock as they began to get away. "I RAISED THEM, I TOOK CARE OF THEM, I BREEDED THEM TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITIES; AND I'D BE DAMNED TO LET THEM GO!" he bellowed. "Ash, have Pikachu be shot by Onix's tail, maybe he can reach." Brock suggested.

Ash nodded. Pikachu was tossed into the air and his like a ball, skyrocketing into the air as it hit the hot air balloon. "Pikachu, BITE!" Ash shouted as he bit down, the balloon popping as it was sent plummeting to the ground with a large crash.

"UGH!" groaned Jessie.

"Great plan Jessie." Meowth hissed as the Pokémon got released from its holdings. "Let's get out of here!"

"NOT SO FAST!" shouted the gang as they ran to the scene of the crime.

"PIKACHU, THUNDERSHOCK!"

Pikachu let out a strong bolt of electricity as Jessie, James, and Meowth got shot into the air fast.

"TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" They shouted their ending motto.

"Check and see if the Pokémon are alright." Ash yelled out as he checked over Pikachu.

"They're alright." Brock said in relief. "Let's head back."

"Sorry we never finished our battle." Brock sighed sadly. "But, because of your braveness in helping me retrieve my Pokémon, and me knowing you'd had probably won our battle, I give you the Boulder Badge, congratulations." he said handing him the shiny symbol of winning a battle against a gym leader.

"YES I WON THE BOULDER BADGE!" Ash shouted.

"PI PIKA CHU!"

The gang laughed.

"So...I guess this is it." Ash sighed. "Wish you could come with us."

"Yeah, me too, but I've gotta take care of the tykes." Brock said sadly.

"Well...bye." Ash said sadly as he turned to leave.

"Bye." Misty said as well as she and Ash began walking slowly away.

"Guess it's just the two of us." Misty commented.

Ash didn't answer, lost in his own thoughts.

_Guess Brock isn't joining us this time_. Ash thought sadly.

Half a mile away...

"WAIT!"

Both turned to see a Brock chasing them, just like last time.

"What are you doing Brock?" asked a confused Misty.

"You'll never guess. My dad was the actual officiator and saw the whole thing. He's proud of me for protecting my Pokémon and now he and my mom are taking over gym responsibilities and kids!" cheered Brock.

"So, just like old times eh." whispered Ash ever so softly.

"What did you say Ash?" asked Misty.

"Nothing, nothing." Ash waved off. "Welcome to the team." Ash said officially, offering his hand.

Brock took it and Misty placed hers over theirs as did Pikachu.

A little along the way Brock walked ahead to where Ash was leading them_. "So, you tell her about your undying love for her yet_?" whispered Brock in hushed tones.

_SMACK!_

"OWW," Whined Brock.

Ash shook his head in disbelief_. Just like old times._

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><p><strong>I wish to see you again next chapter!<strong>


	7. I've know that fire

The sun rose quickly, shining brightly on the three travelers, Ash, Misty and newly joined, Brock. They had been traveling together now for nearly two weeks, getting to know each other well. Brock would help train Ash by battling his Pokémon, raising their experience level. With the help, his Rattata had evolved into a strong and healthy Raticate.

Ash decided that if he were to stop Team Omni before they started organizing, then he'd have to work a lot harder, that including catching and training a lot more Pokémon. Team Omni were just like their names. Omnipotent, Omnipresent, always there everywhere. They were the strongest Pokémon Gang the future world had ever seen and Ash knew that this was his second chance of stopping them.

He had calculated that before he would only catch about nine to ten Pokémon each journey. Although the Pokémon he kept with him through the entire region would be very powerful, it would just lose much of its power when he would leave them at the Laboratory, taking only Pikachu with him as he would start all over again. He did the math and realized that by the time he became a master, he only had six flying types, if included Charizard, four fire types, four grass types, only six water, three bug, including the Beedrill he had given to Casey, one fighting type Pokémon, his Primeape which he had given away for training, only really two normal Pokémon since he traded back the Raticate and only did use one of his Tauros', three poison, two ground, and only one dragon and electric.

Sure he had a fair amount of types but he was missing Psychic, Steel, Poison, and Dark. He knew that if he wanted to become stronger he would not have to be more like Gary and switch Pokémon up more often but catch a lot of different varieties of Pokémon. With that being said, Ash dedicated his early mornings in finding and capturing leaders of each Pokémon group.

To prove his point in just three days he had caught a male and female Nidoran, a Mankey, an Abra, an Ekans and a Scyther.

Of all those Pokémon his Scyther was one of the hardest to catch.

_Ash and friends had been walking through a small forest went they stepped into a Scyther war zone. A pack of Scyther was gathered and in the middle were two Scyther, one clearly larger than the other. The larger one struck down the smaller and the pack disbanded, leaving the smaller one to die._

_Brock had quickly run over to it, checking its bruises but Scyther had quickly backed away._

_"SY SY SCYTHER SY SCYTHER!" It growled, panting heavily from exhaustion. _

_"Scyther calm down. We're trying to help!" Ash said quietly but sternly. _

_"SCY SCY!" It argued back, retreating more and more into the forest._

_"Wai-" Ash yelled as it escaped but Brock put his hand on his shoulder, stopping him._

_"Let it go." _

_"No, it's hurt. I know what it will do. It'll go back and challenge the leader and get itself killed!" screamed Ash as he ran after the Scyther before it could get too far. At being spotted, Ash tackled Scyther into the ground. _

_"Look, I'm not here to hurt you but I won't let you make a stupid decision." he said, looking deeply into the wounded Scyther. "I know that you want to show that you are strong, but you aren't ready. I'll help you train. Then you can challenge it again." _

_"Scyther Sy Scyther." It nodded, agreeing feebly. _

_The next few days Ash allowed Scyther to train with them. It went over drills that it had never dared to do. Ash pushed it to its limit and helped it to grow in its strength and endurance._

_"Common Scyther, are you going to let Pikachu beat you like that? Get up and defeat the enemy!" _

_Scyther had been battling the strong yellow rodent and was losing. It struggled to get up and attack again only to be struck down. _

_"You can do it. I know you can. You may have been the smallest of the Scythers but that doesn't mean you are the weakest. So show Pikachu what you are truly made of!" _

_Scyther was gifted with a burst of energy as it got up, catching Pikachu off guard and giving it a strong slash, causing Pikachu to feint. It grinned, amazed to see that it had one. _

_"See, I knew you could do it."_

Scyther then challenged the leader of the Scyther clan, beating it and hence taking over as new leader. However, through the time spent with Ash it had grown a newfound respect for the trainer and decided to go with him.

With each Pokémon added to the group, Ash became stronger. He trained his Pokémon to the fullest. He and Scyther had become frequent sparring partners, both gaining experience in the act of fighter.

While heading to the Pokémon center just outside of Mt. Moon Cave he briefly wondered if he would see Charmander or not. Because it wasn't the exact same time as before, Charmander obviously wouldn't be laying on the rock in the pouring rain like before.

As Ash and friends entered the Pokémon center, Ash felt sadness breach him as he saw no trace of the trainer who first had Charmander.

"What's wrong?" Misty asked, noticing Ash's dampened mood.

"Nothing." he said, quickly normalizing himself.

"Okay." she said, not really believing him.

"I'm going to go speak to Professor Oaks." he said leaving them.

He signed on and got connected to Oaks.

"Hello Ash, nice surprise seeing you. How is your journey coming along?" he asked cheerfully.

"Pretty good, as you probably realized, I've been catching more Pokémon." he said.

"Yes I've noticed. I'm very impressed. Did you call for a need of an exchange?"

"Not _exactly_, but I was wondering, how many Pokémon are we exactly allowed to carry with us?" he asked. He knew that in the future one was allowed to carry much more than the set number of six.

"Well it depends on the trainer. Some don't like or can't manage all six Pokémon so they only carry around four, switching off frequently. Others can manage more. Technically a trainer can carry up to fifteen, but we professors tell trainers only six, if we believe that they aren't ready to carry that many." he explained.

"Really...so can I carry that many?" Ash asked hopefully.

"Well...I don't see why not. But if you are struggling in the least I won't hesitate to limit you on the amount you can bring with you." the Professor said sternly. "Do you want me to get any of your Pokémon?"

"No, Butterfree, Beedrill, Ekans, and Sparrow are okay there for now. Just make sure you tell them that just because they aren't traveling with me at the moment doesn't mean that they stop their annual training." he laughed.

"Don't worry, I will. Take care Ash." he said signing off.

Ash sighed happily that he was now able to carry more Pokémon with him. It would be a whole heck easier to train his Pokémon when they were fairly all together.

Suddenly Misty burst in the tech room panting with a panicked look. "Ash, come out here, quick!" she yelled.

Ash took off after her running outside of the Pokémon Center and through the woods near it. There, they found Brock fighting with a young trainer that looked awfully familiar. When he looked to the left he found the reason to it. There in the middle of the floor was a hurt Pokémon with multiple bruises.

Charmander.

Like last time it's flame on its tail was very small. It was panting slowly and looked ready to pass over.

_No!_

"ASH GRAB CHARMANDER!" Brock yelled as he punched the trainer's face.

Ash ignored the urge to join Brock in killing the bastard trainer that did this to it and instead picked Charmander up into his arms and ran like the wind into the Pokémon Center.

"NURSE JOY!" he yelled as she looked up. Worry struck her face as she saw the young trainer hold a dying Pokémon in his arms.

"Give me him. Chansey, take him to the emergency room. Code Red!" she said urgently as Chansey wheeled it away.

"Will it be okay?" Ash asked.

"I don't know. What happened?"

"I don't really know...All I know is that my friend Brock was beating another trainer. I assume he did this to Charmander." He spat in anger. It was one thing to abandon a Pokémon but to beat one was a whole new thing.

"Well it's a good thing you brought it here. A few more minutes and it wouldn't have probably made it. It's going to be a long recovery..." she admitted sadly as she glanced at the Charmander who was attached to many medical wires.

"Ca-can I go in?" Ash asked quietly.

Nurse Joy nodded. "Try to comfort it. It's in a lot of pain."

He nodded and slowly walked into the small and dark room. He grabbed a seat and settled right next to the healing Pokémon and rubbed its head slowly.

"Don't worry Charmander. I'll protect you. You're safe now...just get better buddy okay?" he whispered soothingly. He didn't know if Charmander heard him or not but he continued nonetheless. In a way Ash felt a little guilty. He had wanted to see Charmander so badly but not like this. He wished he could have gotten here sooner and saved Charmander from the abuse. How could anyone hurt their own Pokémon?

He wondered. "I'll always be there for you."

_Always._

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><p><strong>See ya! Sorry for late update!<strong>


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